RAW begins in Dubuque and ends in Kenosha. With incredible ride support from Wheel & Sprocket and some of the best rest stops anywhere, RAW gives you a chance to ride from the Mississippi to Lake Michigan, coast to coast, 175 miles across the greatest state for cycling. If you choose to ride the shorter 105-mile option, you will be on the same route as the 175-mile riders, but you will stop in Beloit and take a bus to the finish party in Kenosha.

We start in Dubuque because we need a start location with plenty of hotel rooms along the Mississippi, and the route along our southern border is the shortest distance across the state. With a 6 AM roll-out and 14 hours and 13 minutes of daylight on August 11th, which should allow most riders to finish before it gets dark, but please bring lights just in case! Remember this is a ride, not a race. Follow all the rules of the road and be an ambassador for cycling. Keep a steady pace, ride with a group you feel comfortable with and you should have a great (long) day in the saddle.

For the route, we cherry picked 175 miles of the scenic, paved, low traffic roads that Wisconsin is famous for. You will get most of the route’s 6,800 feet of climbing out of the way in the first 85 miles, then you can take it easier as the road levels out for the next 30 miles or so. We offer two exceptional lunch stops, one in Monroe and the other in Beloit.

The road tips up slightly for the next 30 miles out of Beloit, but the grade is easy and gradual. Then the last 45 miles are pretty much downhill from Lake Geneva all the way to the finish at the beach in Simmons Island Park on Lake Michigan! Feel free to take part in a traditional and dip your wheel in Lake Michigan, or jump in yourself if it is hot. Also waiting for you at the finish is an endless supply of delicious Italian bombers, Italian Beef and pizza from DeRango’s, The Pizza King. You can wash it down with a cold one from Public Craft Brewing in your a handmade commemorative stoneware beer stein.

The thought behind RAW was to create an epic, difficult, but fun and doable ride across Wisconsin that people from across the country will add to their cycling bucket list. We have done everything we can to ensure you complete your ride with an ear to ear grin on your face: